Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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Evil Spirits from the False Prophet : Day 59 
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. (Revelation 16:12-21)
Unclean Frog Spirits
"Three unclean spirits that looked like frogs", came out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. In the Greek there is a kind of play on words. The unclean spirits came out of the mouths of the evil forces. "The mouth" is the organ of speech and speech is one of the most influential forces in the world. Now the word for "spirit" is "pneuma" which is also the word for "breath." To say, therefore, that an evil spirit came out of a man's mouth is the same as to say that an evil breath came out of his mouth. The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet "breathed forth evil influences." (1)
It is said that the "unclean spirits were like frogs." Frogs are connected with plagues. One of the plagues in Egypt was a plague of frogs. "He sent frogs . . . which destroyed them," says the Psalmist (2). Frogs are unclean animals. Although not mentioned by name, they are included by definition in the list of unclean things in the water and the sea (3) The frog stands for an unclean influence. Frogs are famous for their empty and continuous croaking. "The frog is the most loquacious of vanities" (4) The sound the frog makes is the symbol of meaningless speech.
So, then, to say that frogs came out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet is to say that their words were like plagues, were unclean, were empty futilities, and were the allies of the power of the darkness.
The False Prophet
The false prophet was a figure whom God's people were warned to expect both in the Old and in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, people are forbidden to listen to the false prophet, however impressive his signs may be, and it is laid down that the punishment for the false prophet is death (5). It was part of the regular duty of the Sanhedrin to deal with the false prophet and to condemn him to death. The Christian Church was warned that many a false Christ and false prophet would arise to seduce Christ's people (6). False prophets cover a whole class of "magic vendors, religious impostors, fanatics, whether deceivers or deceived, regarded as persons who falsely interpret the mind of God. True religion has no worse enemies and Satan no better allies." (7)
A person who tries to introduce the worship of other gods, who tries to make us compromise with the state or with the world, who tries to seduce others from the exclusive worship of God is always a "false prophet."
Armageddon
The idea of a final conflict between God and the forces of evil is an old one."The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and his anointed."(8)This battle was to take place at "Armageddon."
"Armageddon" may well be connected with the name Megiddo. Megiddo is in the Plain of Esdraelon, which was part of the great highway from Egypt to Damascus. From the most ancient times to the time of Napoleon it was one of the great battle-grounds of the world.This was the plain where Barak and Deborah overthrew Sisera and his chariots (9); where Ahaziah died by the arrows of Jehu (10); where the good Josiah perished in battle with Pharaoh Necho (11), a tragedy which burned itself into the Jewish mind and which the Jews never forgot (12). It was a battle-ground, "familiar to a student of Hebrew history." (13)
"Armageddon" would mean the city of Megiddo. When Ezekiel was describing the last struggle with Gog and Magog, he said that the final victory would be won in the mountains of Israel (14). It may well be that John spoke of the Mount of Megiddo.
Words to meditate on
How do our lives reflect the holiness and righteousness of God?
Words to pray
"Holy, holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty Merciful and mighty.
All thy works shall praise thy name, In earth and sky and sea." (15)
Notes
(1) H. B. Swete (2) Psalm 78:45 (3) Leviticus 11:10. (4) Augustine (5) Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (6) Mark 13:22 (7) H. B. Swete (8) Psalm 2:2 (9) Judges 5:19-21 (10) 2 Kings 9:27 (11) 2 Kings 23:29, 30 (12) Zechariah 12:11 (13) H. B. Swete (14) Ezekiel 38:8, 21; 39:2, 4, 17 (15)
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."